Charles Lawley has been announced as the Liberal Democrats’ candidate for the High Peak for the 2017 General Election.

The 29-year-old, husband, father-of-two and humanitarian aid worker from Chapel-en-le-Frith has been unveiled by the party as their Parliamentary candidate for next month’s election on Thursday, June 8.

Mr Lawley was the Chapel and Hope Valley candidate in May’s Derbyshire County Council Elections.

He had the biggest voter swing of all candidates in High Peak with 23 per cent, and increased the Lib Dem vote by over 700 per cent, overtaking Labour in Chapel and Hope Valley.

Mr Lawley describes himself as High Peak through and through, having lived in Buxton, Buxworth, Whaley Bridge and now Chapel-en-le-Frith.

His family have been living and working in the High Peak for over 350 years and he is a community activist, having campaigned against local hospital closures, for better rural policing amidst dramatic
increases in burglaries and against cuts to High Peak secondary schools.

Meanwhile, Andrew Bingham will stand for re-election for the Conservatives and Ruth George has been confirmed as the candidate for Labour.